Oil burner



'Oct. 26, 1931. c. L. RAYFIELD 2,096,859

' I 0 IL BURNER Original Filed Jan. 29 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l I H i f/ a .106 4 I I i I I I? z 2!,

Oct. 26, 1937. c. L. RAYFIELD.

OIL BURNER Original Filed Jan. 29, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ram 57?" 6%qr/esl Patented Oct. 26, 1937 OIL BURNER Charles L. Rayfield, Chicago, Ill.

Original application January 29, 1931, Serial No. 511,986. Divided and this application July 24, 1934, Serial No. 736,638

7 Claims. (01. 158-77) UNITED STATES FATE T QFFEQE My invention relates in general to oil burners and more particularly to improvements in that type having a rotatable burner head and pumping apparatus for delivering a fuel mixture to the burner head, the head and pump being motor driven.

The present application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 511,986, filedv January 29, 1931.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide in an oil burner, an improved burner head which is simple in construction, simple and efficient in operation, and inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved burner head of the rotatable type, wherein a cyclonic flame is attained by rotating the burner nozzle and discharging the combustible mixture in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of the nozzle and tangential to its path of rotation.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide in an oil burner an improved burner head of the rotary type which is adapted to prevent carbonization of the burner nozzle and is designed so as to enable the combustible mixture to be discharged tangentially into the combustion chamber.

It is also an important object of this invention to provide an improved burner head which is designed to discharge the combustible mixture in a manner to form a cyclonic flame and supply a layer of air between this flame and the peripheral wall of the combustion chamber, thereby causing the heat from the flame tobe concentrated where it may be utilized most efiiiciently for heating the furnace or boiler.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, I propose to provide a burner head in the form of a dished member which is rotatable about a vertically disposed central axis and is provided on its upper surface with a dome-shaped cap or shield having an aperture thru which the combustible material is projected tangentially. The lower surface of this plate is formed with blades for supplying a cylindrical column of air around the central flame of the burner. This column of air protects the wall of the combustion chamber and prevents the loss of heat therethrough by radiation.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear from the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a single embodiment thereof, and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a burner embodying the features of my invention applied to a furnace or boiler;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the pilot {burner showing the relationship of the pilot burner nozzle and the spark gap for igniting the pilot burner;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the pilot burner, taken substantially on line III,-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical diameterical section showing the details of the component parts of the rotary burner head;

Figure 5 is a plan view from beneath of an impeller having radial blades formed thereon; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the burner head showing the relative position of the discharge nozzle in the refractory shield, and blades for directing air into the interior of the shield, taken substantially on line VI--VI of Figure 4.

As illustrative of my invention, I have chosen to show in Figure 1, the fire pot of a furnace or boiler of conventional type to which an oil burner embodying the features of my invention has been applied. This furnace or boiler comprises a vertically disposed peripheral wall I which is separated into an upper compartment and a lower compartment by means of a transversely extending plate member 2 that is secured at its outer edge to the wall in any suitable manner, the upper compartment forming the combustion chamber of the furnace. The burner head, which will be described in detail-subsequently, extends through the plate member 2 into the combustion chamber and is operably connected to a mechanism located in the lower compartment of the furnace. This mechanism is mounted on a base structure 3 and serves not only to drive the head, but furnish a combustible material under pressure thereto.

The pump shown in Figure 1 is preferably of the type described in my Patent No. 1,967,260 although it will be apparent to those-skilled in the art that other types of pumps may also be used, if desired.

In general this pump is of the angular type having, as shown, angularly disposed housing sections A and 5 which enclose pumping instrumentalities for pumping air and oil for the burner.

These sections are secured together at their inner ends along a 45 plane by means of their similarly applied to the outer end of housing and is detachably'secured thereto by screws I4 '1 but also serves as a'driving connection between V which pass through a flange I5 on the head and engage a flange I6 of the housing.

The pump just described not only serves to pump the air and oil to be utilized in the burner,

I the burner and a suitableisource of power In this instance the pumping parts are driven through a shaft '38 which extends axially from V the head I3 and is connected'at its outer end to a coupling member 4|. This coupling member mates with a coupling member 42 which is carried by the driving shaft 43 of a suitable electric motor 45. l

Power from the motor 45 is transmitted through the internal pumping instrumentalities to a shaft 14 of the burner head as shown in Figure 4, this shaft being connected to the pumping instrumentalities by a sleeve connecting member 15 which is secured for rotation with the shaft I4 by means of a suitable set screw I6.

Oil to be pumped is supplied to the head 9 through a suitable pipe 48 from; an oil supply reservoir, which in this case'is shown as being a vacuum tank 49 of the type commonly used in V automobiles. Air is supplied to the pump through a pipe 51 which is connected to the vacuum 0011-.

, nection of the vacuum' tank 40, and additional 30 member having a hub 83 which surrounds the shaft and abuts a shoulder on the shaft at its lower end. Integrally formed 'with the hub 83 and extending outwardly from theupper end thereof are a plurality of wings 84 which are circumferentially spaced around the hub and bev- V eled at 85 so as to force air upwardly through the space between the wings, when the shaft 14 is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 6. The fan member is securedito the shaft 14 by a nut 86 which engages the upper surface of'the fan member. Extending from the axis of the nut 86 is an upwardlyand outwardly bent tube 8 1 which communicates at its lower end with the bore'82 of the shaft I4 and forms at its'upper end'a nozzle for discharging COIllbustible fluid into the combustion chamber.

An impeller 88 having a central upwardly converging tapered bore 89 surrounds the shaft I4 and extends between the fan member 84 and a nut 80 which is threaded on the sleeve 15. The upper surface of the impeller is grooved as at 90 for receiving therein the peripheral margins of the wings 84 and the impeller is held against axial movement by the nut 80 which bears against the lower end of the hub portion 9| thereof.

It will be observed that the nut 80 isprovided 7 wings 84 extend across the upper open end of the charging air in a radial direction.

with apertures 8| which communicate with the tapered bore 89 of theimpeller, and also that the tapered bore 89. The impeller 88 carries a plu-t rality of radially extending blades 92 for dis 95. The member terminates in an annular flange 96 defining a central opening. which forms The upper member 93 has a central aperture .99 forreceiving therethrough a dome-shaped re- =fractory member I00 which is preferably of fire- 7 resisting material, such as fire clay. The member I00 is supported upon the top surface of the impeller and the wings 84 and houses the tube 81 which is disposed within a central chamber IOI. The outer end of thetube 81 is disposed From the flange 98 a Within an aperture I02 having one end in comi munication with the chamber IOI and its other end opening into the combustion chamber, this tube being so'dispo sed in the'aperture that the tube will discharge combustible fluid in a substantially. tangential direction to its path of mtation.

-extends outwardly in a horizontaldirection to From the. member I00 the member-I93 form a bottom portion I03 which extends out- Wardly past the impeller and from whence it is r then deflected upwardly and outwardly as shown at I04 to form the rim of the uppermember." The upper surface of the member 93 is coveredwith a layer of material such as fire claywhich is indicated at I05, The'upper surface of this mal terial'extends upwardiy and outwardlyrfrom the member I00to'form a conical surface terminat-- ing at the outer periphery of the rim" I04. contracted discharge opening for the air from the impeller is provided between the peripheral edges of members 93 and 90 by covering the member ,At. one side of the outlet from the impeller 7 housing, the fire clay I06 and member 2' have intercommunicating apertures I08 and I09 through which the pilot burner discharges into the combustion chamber. The aperture- I09 is formed to have oppositely extending conical'walls I I0 and I I I. A member II2 of insulating material is supported below the aperture I08 by bolts I I3 which extend through tubular spacing members H4 and threadedly engage'the member 2. At the center of member II2 a sleeve H5 is ar-.

ranged withits upper end IIG extending, therethrough and threaded for anchoring a. member III which clampin'gly engages a tube II8 having its upper end closed and provided with'an outlet aperture I I9 which is adjacent the aperture I08 and forms the discharge nozzle for the pilot burner. The lower end of the sleeve member II 5 thefeed pipe I20 which communicates with the pump structure' There is also supported'on the member II2 a pair of arcing horns I2I having their upper ends terminating and spaced apart adjacent the aperture H9 at the upper end of' tubel I8, each of these horns being secured to the member I I2 by suitable nuts I22. The lower is threaded for making a suitable connection to ends of the horns I2I are connected by means of conductors I23 to a suitable source of electricity.

Suitable valves I24 and I25 are respectively inserted in the supply pipe I20 for the pilot burner and the supply pipe 48 of the main burner for controlling the supply of oil thereto. The valve I24 which may be electrically actuated is preferably of the all-on or all-off type, whereas the valve I25 in the supply pipe 48 may be either of the all-on and all-01f type or partly-on and all-off type and is also preferably electrically operated.

The operation of my improved burner will be substantially as follows:

' The motor 45 is started through the agency of suitable control equipment which may be manual or automatic depending upon the installation. The motor will then drive the pump through shaft 38 which will operate the pump to pump oil and air, and at the same time rotate the driving shaft I4 of the rotary burner head. Rotation of the shaft I4 will rotate the impeller 88 and the nozzle 81 in a clockwise direction. The valve I25 is then opened to enable the pump to draw in oil from the vacuum tank 49 through the inlet pipe 48 Simultaneously with'the pumping of oilfrom the vacuum tank, the pump will draw air from the vacuum tank through pipe 51 and also take in air through atmospheric opening I26.

The air and oil are mixed in the pump to form a good combustible fluid which is conducted through the bore 82 to the tube 8'! from whence it is discharged tangentially into the combustion chamber. Combustible fluid is also supplied through the pipe I20 from the pump to the tube I I8 from which it is discharged from the opening II9 through the apertures I08 and I89. The pilot burner is turned on by actuating the valve I24 and then is ignited by energizing the arcing horns I2I through conductors I23, thereby causing a spark to jump between the horns and ignite the combustible fluid being discharged from the aperture II9.

As soon as the pilot burner is ignited, the combustible fluid issuing from the main burner nozzle will be ignited and, since the nozzle is discharging tangentially to its path of movement, a cyclonic flame will be produced which extends outwardly from the refractory member I00 over the surface of the fire clay material I05 which is thereby heated to a high temperature, the heat therefrom being reflected upwardly into the furnace. As soon as the main burner is ignited the pilot burner may be extinguished by closing the valve I24, since the pilot burner will no longer be needed.

By virtue of the rotation of the main burner head, the beveled edges 85 of the wings 84 will draw air upwardly through the apertures 8| and the tapered bore 89 of the impeller and discharge it through the aperture I02 where it combines with the combustible fluid issuing from the main burner nozzle. Since the impeller is being revolved, the blades 92 thereon will suck in cold air through the central opening defined by the annular flange 96 in the lower plate member 84 and discharge it outwardly between the upper and lower plate members 93 and 94, thereby tending to keep the upper plate member cool. As this air emerges at the peripheries of the upper and lower plate members it passes over the upper surface of the fire clay material I06 and is deflected thereby along the wall I of the furnace. It will be observed that this layer of air shields the wall I from the heat created by the burner flame, thereby serving to keep the wall cool at all times and concentrate the heat from the fire clay material I05 at the center of the furnace where it may be utilized most efliciently. The refractory member I00 serves to protect the main burner nozzle from carbonization.

When it is. desired to shut down the burner, the valve I25 isclosed, and the motor 45 continues to run a sufficient length of time to discharge the oil in the pump, after which the motor is shut down and the equipment is then in a condition to be started up again when needed.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my invention provides a novel oil burner in which the pump is not only utilized for pumping oil and air but also serves as a drive between the pump motor andthe burner head; in which the air and oil are combined in the pump to form a good combustible mixture, to be delivered to the burner head; a pilot burner which is also supplied from the pump; in which the combustible fluid is discharged tangentially to the path of movement of the burner nozzle to form a cyclonic flame; and in which cold air is circulated by the burner head for shielding the wall of the combus tion chamber with the result that the heat from the burner will be concentrated where it may be utilized most efficiently for heating the furnace or boiler.

While I have shown anddescribed my invention in a. preferred form, changes and modifications in structure and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I, therefore, do not limit my invention except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an oil burner, a rotatably mounted domeshaped refractory shield having an aperture in the wall thereof, a discharge nozzle for oil mounted within and rotatable with said shield as a unit, said nozzle projecting into said aperture and having its discharge axis positioned to discharge the oil tangentially of the refractory shield, means for rotating said shield and nozzle, and means adacent the base of said shield for forcing air into said shield and through said aperture.

2. An oil burner head comprising a vertically disposed rotatable tubular member for conducting oil, an oil discharge tube connected to said member and rotatable therewith, the discharge end of said tube being disposed to move in a circular path about the axis of rotation of said member and curved so as to discharge the oil tangentially to its path of movement in a direction opposed to its direction of movement, and a stationary deflector member disposed in the path of the tangentially discharged oil.

3. In an oil burner, a burner head comprising an air impeller mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, a hollow member carried by said impeller and rotatable therewith, said member having a side aperture, a. nozzle for discharging oil outwardly through said aperture, a dished plate surrounding the hollow member and having its upper surface disposed in the path ofthe oil from said nozzle, a second plate spaced below the first plate and having an air inlet opening, said plates defining a stationary housing for the impeller, whereby the air from the impeller is directed outwardly and discharged at the plate peripheries and the upper dished plate is cooled.

4. In an oil burner, a burner head comprising a rotatable refractory shield shaped to form a dome with a side aperture, a deflector plate surrounding said shield, an oil discharge nozzle in said shield projecting into said aperture and having its discharge end positioned to discharge oil, tangen-V charge'end positioned to discharge oil tangentially of the shield against said plate, a housing including said plate, said housing having a pe-' ripheral discharge opening, means in said housing for forcing air into said dome, and other means insaid housing for forcing air outwardly along the under side. of 'said plate to the, peripheral discharge opening. l

6. In'combination with a furnace having a combustion chamber with a bottom wall and a side wall, an oil burner havingarrotatable oil discharge nozzle disposed centrall'y'of and-above the bottom wall of the combustion chamber, a deflector plate surrounding said nozzle and supported on said bottom wall, said plate having its upper surface disposed in the path of the oil d ischarged from said nozzle, and means for forcing air outwardly along the lower surface of said plate onto the upper surface of said bottom wall, said blanket is formed to shield theside wall from the heat resulting from the burning of said oil.

7. In combination with'a furnace having a com-, 'b'ustion chamber with a bottom" wall and a side wall, an oil burner having a rotatable oil discharge a nozzle disposed central of and above the bottom 7 upper surface of the bottom wall being formed o adjacent the side wall of the chamber in a mane ner to deflect said air upwardly, whereby an air plate, said plate and bottom cooperating to direct the air along the upper surface of said bottom wall, and said bottom wall having an upwardly curved portionadjacent said side wall for direct-' 'ing the] air upwardly to form an air blanket between the side wall and the bustion chamber;

interior of the com- CHARLES L, RAYFiELDQ 

